How to Save Water in Your Home

Updated January 2021 

Saving water at your home is good for the environment, and your wallet too. During the summer months, your local council may impose water restrictions, so it’s great to learn how to save water to reduce the impact on your household. We’ve compiled our plumbers’ guide on how to save water at your place.

1. Check for leaks

Dripping taps waste a huge amount of water. Even one leaking tap dripping once every 10 seconds can waste up to a litre a day. That’s over 300L per year for one drip! Furthermore, if it’s hot water leaking, you’re wasting electricity too. Getting your taps fixed is an easy way to save water fast.

2. Turn off taps

You can save serious amounts of water when brushing your teeth or shaving. It’s as simple as turning off the tap, rather than letting the water run. Believe it or not, this can save up to 40-50 litres of water per day!

3. Use garden mulch

Mulch is definitely a gardener’s friend. You can save plenty of water by applying mulch in your garden. Mulch retains moisture in the soil which is really valuable during hot weather. Mulching also means less weeding too, which is obviously not a bad thing either!

4. Test your toilet for leaks

Just like a dripping tap, a leaking toilet cistern wastes lots of water. But how do you know if your toilet is leaking? A neat test is to put a few drops of food colouring in the cistern when you go to bed. If the water in the bowl is coloured in the morning, you’ve got water escaping. This means you need a plumber to investigate the source of the leak.

5. How to save water with a single flush toilet

If you have a toilet pre-dating dual flush, you can use a lot of water unnecessarily. Simply fill up a 1.5L plastic bottle or 2L milk bottle and place it in the cistern. That way, you’ll reduce the amount of water filling the cistern, and how much you flush each time. The amount of water this saves you per flush will add up really quickly!

6. Water your garden early and late

By watering early or late in the day, you drastically reduce the amount of evaporation. This is particularly important during summer when we have very long hot days, and sprinkler and hose pipe pans are enforced by your council.

7. Use a plastic tub in the sink

If you wash up dishes in the sink, you can save your grey water by using a plastic tub in the sink. Once you’re done and the dish water is cool, you can water your garden with it. One more gardening tip while we’re at it: Aphids hate soapy water, so fill a spray bottle with the leftover water and go bug hunting!

8. Shorten your showers

Trimming just a couple of minutes off your showers can save hundreds of litres each year. It may take some getting used to, but it’s worth it!

9. Use the dishwasher

Generally speaking, the dishwasher actually uses significantly less water than washing the dishes by hand. Try to use the dishwasher whenever possible if you are trying to save water.

10. Get a plumbing check

When you have a plumber booked to carry out plumbing maintenance at your house, get them to do a quick check for wear and leaks when they visit. It saves you money on call-outs but also stops a small plumbing problem becoming an expensive disaster. Need a maintenance plumber? Book a technician now.